KABUL, Afghanistan — Department of Defense personnel have been advised to move past the tensions and vitriol of the recent presidential election and move forward with advising and assisting the Afghan government in governance, elections, rule of law and stability, according to a leaked message from Central Command.

"This election has been a considerable distraction," Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, wrote in the message. "We need to stop dwelling on what's going on back home and get back to providing top notch advice and assistance to Afghanistan’s government and security forces."

Responses to the message have been mixed.